Emilio Pucci / Spring 2014 RTW

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It’s hard to resist the fantasy that there’s a huge designer dance-off brewing up out there. In competition for all that is blinging, sexy, and rapper-related, Rodarte has spoken from L.A., Mr. Tom Ford has weighed in from the London corner, and Ms. Donatella Versace has done her thing in Milan. Now, in breaking news, Mr. Peter Dundas has just thrown down his hyper-sparkly, super-sporty, ultra-hot challenge at Emilio Pucci. One can only guess how Olivier Rousteing is limbering up for his Balmain counterblast in Paris. Oh, and then there’s Rihanna—the uber-idol they all want to impress. But RiRi’s a designer, too, yes? Check out her crop-topped, basketball-short-ed and tight-skirt-ed collection for River Island, and you’ll see how she’s baiting them all for a piece of the young-girl action.

But let’s focus on the latest collection in play. Peter Dundas has made over Emilio Pucci in the image of all the hot model friends in his circle. With their side-tumbling hair and barely made-up faces, they make a believable crew, at least for the purposes of a ten-minute runway show. Fast and furious, he sent them out with Masai-meets-Vegas beaded and embroidered cropped hoodies, second-skin bustier dresses, minute, perforated leather sport-shorts, huge medallioned leather trophy belts, moto-cross pants jacked up to the knee, and neoprene swimwear. Dealt in amongst all this were the famous swirly Pucci prints, house signatures deployed as slinky jersey wrap skirts, and more of the pushed-up, drop-crotch pants. “They’re gym queens!” the designer declared backstage.

Well, kudos to Dundas for executing his theme with total conviction, and to a luxury standard which was completely evident—right down to the quality of the sheer mesh evening dresses. There was even a flash of a gold-embroidered tracksuit, beaded to a twenties deco age standard that a woman who is not an aspiring Rihanna look-alike could relate to. And there hangs the question: How big (or how exclusively micro) is the market for blindingly costly hip-hop-tastic gear in reality? And when the great designer dance-off comes to stores next spring, which designers will sell a lot of it? Or even a little?